Cessna 172M N19867 accident near Kapolei, Hawaii

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to avoid wake turbulence from a heavy airplane departing from a parallel runway, which resulted in a loss of airplane control during initial climb after a touch-and-go landing.

NTSB analysis

Shortly after becoming airborne after a touch-and-go landing, the airplane encountered wake turbulence from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster airplane that had recently departed from a parallel runway. The flight instructor, who was the pilot flying and seated in the right seat, lost airplane control, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, and right wing. The flight instructor and student pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

According to FAA guidance, because the location of wake turbulence is difficult to determine, the controller was not responsible for anticipating its existence or effect. The controller issued a cautionary wake turbulence advisory in accordance with FAA policy, and the flight instructor reported the C-17 in sight. The controller was not required to provide specific wake turbulence spacing.

The location of the threshold of Runway 4L relative to Runway 4R would have made it difficult for the accident airplane to adhere to the wake turbulence avoidance procedures contained in the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), which recommend landing well before the larger airplane's rotation point and remaining above its climb path during departure.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC25LA020 for the full record.